Review & evaluation of 2016

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And here comes a brief text as a review of my 2016. Also some numbers which evaluates parts of the training year.

I have trained 559 hours which is compared to 2015 is an increase of about 8% (518 vs 559 hours). I have increased my running amount a lot from low 89 hours (17% of all training 2015) to 303 hours and 54 % of all training.

I have been part of many great relay results this year which I am proud of:

World Championship sprint relay BRONZE (won the 1st leg)

European Championship relay SILVER (3rd at first leg)

Swedish Championship relay GOLD (2nd at last leg)

10-mila 3rd (6th at last leg)

World cup final sprint relay 2nd (won the 1st leg)

GMOK best Swedish team at both 10-mila and Jukola and Swedish Champions

Individual these are my best results at runs I am satisfied with:

World cup sprint 6th (Poland)

European championship middle 8th

Personal best on my running test track to 28:16 (7,8km)

Summary: I look back at a great comeback season and I am so happy to be back to be a part of both the national team and my club. Perhaps this is why I have performed way better at relays than individual this year. I must say I have developed a lot as a relay runner this year, both at the 1st leg but also at a last leg runner. My best individual result is a 6th place internationally and a 3rd place at the Swedish Championships (long). I am very happy I reached my goal of a medal in 2016 with the sprint relay bronze. Now I want to achieve more individually for 2017, but of course also still be a part of a relay team who aims for victory.

November 15’

The whole year of 2015 was about rehab, but in November the foot had started to cooperate well and I had reached my goal to go into the training period for 2016 with a foot I can count on and which are able to do at least 4 running sessions a week. My motivation was high and this month was very qualitative when it comes to running sessions.

I did the sprint O-event in Borås and won all 3 stages and 2 of the races were almost top performances. I was also back on track on the Tuesday interval session by the club at the grus8:a in Skatås. 8 times 1000 meter with high speed. I love it! And it felt surprisingly good. I also ran a new personal best on my test track (again, around the grus-8:a, which is 7,8 km gravel running). The new PB was 5 seconds better than the time set in March 2012, so it was on time.

December 15’

I could increase my training amount and went into deep training mode with a perfect mix of running, alternative basic training and strength training. Though I had felt that during the whole rehab period there was some kind of pain in my Achilles tendon which hadn’t disappeared. This was some pain I got throughout the surgery. I went to IFK Kliniken and it ended up with a schlerosing injection. This meant no running for at least 2 weeks…. And then I was back on the bike. It was a bit tough, but at least it was not for a long time. I went to Switzerand for Christmas and there I had an easier training week, but tried to get back into running. Sometimes it felt quite bad in the heel and I got some dark thoughts: “what have I done” “have I destroyed everything I did the past year”. Of course I hadn’t and after a while it started to feel better again. And Switzerland is perhaps the best place to stay as I could do great walking sessions up the steep hills, looking at the snow-covered Alps.

January 16’

Back into running. Again. And an incredibly good training month, especially when looking at quantity (all time high!). Two training camps. The first one in Idre Fjäll together with the national team. A lot of cross country skiing in an amazing area as the weather was almost perfect. I also got some really good treadmill sessions to stay with the running. In the end of the month I went to Skåne and Blekinge (south of Sweden) together with the club. There we trained basics o-technique, but also specific training for the coming European test races in April and the Swedish Championships during autumn. Nothing more to say about this. I kept up with high amount of alternative training, and continued to fill in “injured” in my training diary as I still got some work to do with strength and movement.

February 16’

I the beginning of the month I went to Portugal O Meeting and ran 2 of the 4 competitions there. In addition I did a lot of roller ski training and also a great walk-o competition against Helena. We were staying in the middle of nowhere just by the border to Spain and during the evenings we visited the only opened restaurant in the area where they served “meat with pommes and rice” – classic Portugal style.

After this I visited the doctor as I felt that I couldn’t move forward with my running amount. We found out that my right calf didn’t work as supposed. I started to work to find the connection again and build up more strength. No big deal and it showed result quite fast. Ended the month with a nice long run in the forest at home and I felt very strong during the 2 hours and started to believe that this can be a really good season and that my dream of the long distance at WOC perhaps can become true.

March 16’

One of the best training months I’ve ever done. During all high intensity sessions I felt that I had improved. I could run faster, and also recover faster inbetween intervals and sessions. I went to Halmstad to join the youth national team as a part of practical work for my education. After that I ran a running competition around my test track and beat my personal best by 48 seconds. Now 28:16 on 7,8 km. I was very relieved and happy! Right after this I went to the first real training camp in Strömstad with the national team. I’ve been there a lot, but not been able to run as much as I wanted. This time it was different and I could join for most of the planned trainings. So nice! Right after the traning camp in Strömstad I went to Czech Republic with GMOK to do some EOC trainings. This was also successful and I could finally feel that I could trust my foot and stop filling in the “injury”-button in my training diary.

April 16’

Unfortunately I got a small cold after the double training camps and had to cancel my planned competition premiere in Strömstad. I also got a bit stressed as the test races for EOC was just some days away. Luckily I got healthy so I could start these competitions and they ended really well. 2-2-4 was my results over middle, sprint and longdistance and I was clearly qualified for both world cup and the European championships. Even though the competitions had started I tried to continue with quite an high amount of training to have something to use for a small tapering towards the EOC. Though my body is good to handle tough training so my shape was continuously good. I ran a great last leg at Stigtomtakavlen where GMOK won both the women and the men’s relay. I continued with the Swedish League races in Göteborg to get a tough longdistance to prepare for WOC. In the end of April I went to the first world cup round in Poland. It was so great to be back in the national team! I had missed it! I started out the first race, the middle distance very well as long as to the 3rd last control where I did a heavy mistake. I pushed my limits and was on my way to the 3rd place, but got too tired and couldn’t understand the area or find the control. I was very frustrated afterwards as I knew I could do so much better.

May 16’

The WC in Poland continued with sprint and sprint relay. I managed to do two technically good races here and ended 6th in the individual sprint and 4th with my team (Swe2) in the sprint relay where I came 3rd to the change-over (right after Switzerland and Russia). This later on led to my selection for the sprint relay at the European Championships. After Poland I was happy but a bit tired. I realized it’s a bit exhausting to compete at a high level. The coming weekend was the Swedish League final and this wasn’t a part of my plane until I realized I was in the lead (after the EOC test races and the races in Göteborg). I decided to go up to run the final chasing start (but not the sprint and the middle the days before). Some runners passed me, but I managed to get the 3rd place overall and some extra money into my account (which is quite rare)… I continued with competitions! 10-mila was up! We had a really good first team and I got the opportunity to run the last leg. After splendid runs by Kristine, Anna, Judith and Viktoria I was sent out as nr 2, 1,48 behind Halden. I did a solid technically race and passed Halden and was in the lead for quite a time of the relay. So cool! Though I was passed by Hausken and Maja in the end and came to the finish as number 3. It was very emotional when I reached the finish line and realized that I was there, fighting for the victory, among the very best, when I, a year earlier, wasn’t able to run longer than 400 meters in a row… Happy moment! One week later it was time for European Champs. I was selected for sprint relay, sprint, middle and relay. I have mixed feelings from the EOC-week, but happy with my ending where I manage to do good performances in the middle (8th) and the final relay where I ran the 1st leg and exchanged as number 3, just 30 seconds behind, and we (Emma, Tove and I) ended at a silver position, just seconds from the gold… I had troubles during the whole EOC with sleeping and my body didn’t cooperate as I wished for, but then I was relieved when I, towards the end of the week, realized that I could actually do good performances any way. Thank you mental training for that.

June 16’

I was totally exhausted after the European championships in and the insane competition period continued with two weekends of WOC test races. I had during the spring stuck to my plan of focusing on the championship itself and not too much on the selection. I felt that I had done a good spring season and that I somehow should be in the team, but I wanted to show more. The first tests were the sprint during the Swedish sprint championships and there I had nothing to give. I wasn’t recovered from the EOC and just wanted to lay in the sofa, relaxing and not be thinking of orienteering. So I had nothing there to do and many runners were stronger than me. Shit, this is the actual test races… What if the same will happen on the middle and the long (which was the distances that I really wanted to run at WOC)… I once again used my strong mental capacity and focused on the work I’ve done the past 1,5 years. This doesn’t disappear through one miserable weekend. Therefore I could change my bad feeling into some good performances. The middle test race was very good, finishing 3rd just behind Tove and Helena. The long was also solid, even though I got really tired and lost some time in the end and I could finish 3rd again. I knew that this would get me into the WOC team and also get the possibility to run more than one distance. I dreamt of the middle and the long (and the relay), but it ended up with sprint, sprint relay, long and later on also relay. So great, but it actually took some time to let go of the middle distance… After the WOC tests there were just one weekend left of the spring season – the Venla relay. I did a huge mistake on the 2nd control, but from that one ran more than great. GMOK finished 5th (best Swedish team) after super performances of Viktoria and Anna and some mistakes by me & Judith. After this I got some time to relax. Finished with competitions and back to training. Felt great!

July 16’

I started up some tough training weeks and had a great pre camp in Strömstad with the team. I felt that my routines started to set. I also planned my last weeks of tapering and everything felt really good. I went to a great wedding in Dalarna and had an enjoyable evening far from WOC performances. This was a nice break in a period where everything was about preparing for WOC. After the wedding I went to Sälen and O-ringen where I should set the last routines for long distance competitions. I wasn’t prepared for “Fjällorientering”, but wanted to work on my compass skills, which is perfect in that area. I did a big mistake the first stage, but from that on everything went better and better and I got closer and closer to Tove who was super this week (and all other weeks of the year). My body felt strong and I could push all the way. I had something big coming during the last stage where I did a close to perfect long distance race, and I had achieved the 4th place in total, but unfortunately I had been at the wrong control at one place and therefore I got disqualified. I became very sad, but after some time I realized that my performance was still good and that was the important thing towards WOC.

August 16’

The WOC month! I did the last week of high amount and some extra intense training at the last pre camp with sprint focus some weeks before. I am happy I did a good plan early which I could rely on when the nervousness came on, but I could feel it – my shape was good. It was amazing to get to Strömstad and meet up with the team – just like a second family. The WOC started with sprint, but I wasn’t fully there. My plan was good, but the execution was not good. I lost seconds here and there and got a disappointing 11th place. I knew that I could do better and I also knew that I had to do better at tomorrows sprint relay. I got the opportunity once again to run the first leg and I couldn’t enjoy it more. The atmosphere, the preparations, the shape- everything felt awesome and I could run a really good race and change over first of all! It felt like a victory! Later on Jonas, Gustav, Helena and I got the bronze – Sweden’s first ever sprint relay medal at WOC. I had reached my goal of getting a medal at WOC 2016. The rest of the week was not top performances, but okay. The finishing banquet was memorable for life with the Swedish team dressed up as Minions. Best idea ever! After WOC I felt a huge emptiness. I had planned one week totally off orienteering. I started school again which I think was good to “get back into life”.

September 16’

As I said, the first week after WOC was filled with nothing but orienteering. I went to Stockholm to meet up my friends there and celebrated Karros 25th birthday and Josefines “fruhippa”. I also got to meet my good old friends Elsa & Carro and together we watched “Finding Dory” as good old times (with Finding Nemo). It felt a bit hard to start training and focusing on orienteering again, but I had decided to try to get some kind of last shape out to the World Cup final the 2nd weekend of October. On the way there were two weekends of Swedish Championships. This time I didn’t focus too much on this, but trusted my shape. If I could do well on the world champs some weeks ago, I can do it now as well. I enjoyed the SM long and middle and happy about my bronze at the long distance. I realized that I hadn’t been training middle at all and that I need to do that to get back some tempo in my orienteering technique. At the moment I was too slow. This evaluation helped me to prepare to the relay. I don’t know what happened but this day everything went on as a dream. I was sent out as 7th, 4,5min behind leaders, and after that I just did orienteering as I want to do. I gained time and suddenly I was in the lead and some minutes later I crossed the finish line as the winning team together with Kristine and Anna. AMAZING. This, together with the sprint relay on WOC and 10-mila was this year’s highlights. Couldn’t enjoy it more!

October 16’

The season was long this year. I started to feel tired, but kept my focus on the WC final. I went to a training camp in Estonia with the national team, and got a picture of what is waiting next year. Though it was a bit hard to got completely into it as the season of 16 wasn’t ended yet. After this I went to 25-manna in Stockholm. Always a nice weekend with the club, but this time it wasn’t GMOKs year. Though I got 2 last good high intensity trainings as preparations for the WC final. In Switzerland I ran everything, sprint relay, long and sprint. I could once again change over as the first woman on the first leg. Really happy about that and I have for sure learnt something how to run a first leg during this year. At the long I got 8th after an okay performance and finished the season with a 10th place at the sprint. This led up to an overall 10 th place in the World Cup of 2016. After the final stages I started my rest period. I trained 40 minutes during the first week as I had too much to do in school and also because I had no energy left for training – but it was all as planned. Season of 2016 is over and I can look back at an amazing comeback!